Duke is a serious Final Four contender
We just may have kept the Duke Foot Injury from ending our season for the third straight year
Miami is really backing into the tournament phase
So much for those little Tools and their VAUNTED twelve-guard lineup, at least until next Saturday
Still not going to miss Maryland, College Park at all
Just enjoying the ride
I have some gripe or other but will hold it for now

Safe travels on that bike, Tom. Hope you enjoy your travels through Canada.

Posted by: Mark Buckner

Date: 4/3/2012 12:02:18 AM

Indeed, Matt, thank you for another great year of basketball, political, and cultural critique. I've been a member here through old usernames as well as thick and thin.

Your work is greatly appreciated.

Mark

Posted by: tom

Date: 4/2/2012 11:46:22 PM

Well, Kansas made a great rally but it just wasn't enough. I'm amazed by the athletes for Kentucky. Unbelievable. Maybe Slimeball can go back to the NBA were he belongs. I know we would love to see this championship vacated but I don't think championships are vacated in college basketball. Tarkanian ring a bell? You could even put Calgoon in that category as well from last year. Thanks Matt for all your work. Motorcycle season has started for me. I'll be touring some of the fellow Dukies Canadian areas this summer on my way to Newfoundland and Alaska. I'm so looking forward to it. Have a nice Spring and Summer everyone.

Posted by: Mark Buckner

Date: 4/2/2012 10:09:27 PM

And why is Caliprick never told to stay off the court? His entering the playing area screaming & arms waving borders on an extra defender!

Posted by: Mark Buckner

Date: 4/2/2012 10:01:22 PM

UK can bump or go over-the-back, but KU can't without being whistled.

This game could use just a few more timeouts; team, official or otherwise.

Posted by: CDG

Date: 4/2/2012 10:00:56 PM

Tom, you beat me to it. I would add that the reffing in the Tourney this year has been ridiculous across the board. Too many of the far refs making calls they have no perspective to make; blatant misses; incredulous calls... Hmmm, me thinks Matt was saying this earlier, no? Memo to the current crew BTW: you can call a foul on Davis - he's not made of glass.

Sorry for being an absentee poster around here. I was on vacation and without internet access for the last week or so. I wasn't without access to a TV though and completely enjoyed the KU dismantling of Roy's Boys. Bill Self for coach of the year!!!!

Was following the Barnes BS too - what a joke. Can't wait to see if his "brand" includes Pinesol; you know - to assist while he rides the pine. Wow.

Posted by: tom

Date: 4/2/2012 9:50:33 PM

Is it me or in the last several years, the refs seem to really let the players hack and grab more in the championship? It's like the rule is that no one can foul out or something. I'm noticing it in the first half of this game.

Posted by: Al White

Date: 4/1/2012 3:02:03 AM

What can we do to keep the Wildcrooks of Calipari from buying Shabazz? Let's hope he isn't in for the crooked stuff.

This site's praise for Bill Self can only increase after he outcoached Matta. KY will be very hard to beat, but Self is the coach to do it. When K retires, can we be lucky enough for KU to have an AD like that doosh who ran Roid off? Actually, that guy pulled quite an upgrade with Self.

Check out that article re Duke being the most popular program (linked at the top of the home page). Must be tough to read for Bitter Billie Packer and the other noisy Duke haters out there.

Posted by: London Dukie

Date: 3/31/2012 9:23:14 PM

I don't know much about Ziegler, but my brief Internet research indicates he is a shooting guard, so I have to assume Duke is pursuing him with 100% intensity. I believe we only have 3 SGs next season since Rivers' decision to jump (Dawkins, Curry, Sulaimon...not counting Kelly as an SG wannabe...have I missed anyone?), so I understand why we need to grab another one.

To be fair, Dawkins is hardly reliable, so someone in his place that we can actually count on would be no bad thing.

Posted by: tom

Date: 3/31/2012 4:06:13 PM

I'm also hearing Jay Williams possibly being a another assistant at Duke. Not sure if true or not. Which is good because he was showing hints this past year of getting sucked into the ESPN mantra where there must be a hole compliment at least 6 times a day. Although I would think it would be a pay cut. Also, can't believe Bruce Webber was hired at KSU. Denny Crum not available. This would have been a great opportunity for an up and coming coach. Chirs Collins, Wojo or maybe coaches from the mid majors. But no, lets go with a rehash. I think hole fans and Duke fans can all join in their hatred for Kentucky.

Posted by: Matt

Date: 3/30/2012 3:56:18 PM

Yeah, TRT, that's got to be a Zeigler reference. We're in the hunt for Oriakhi, too, but Zeigler should be in the bag barring some odd sequence of events.

Posted by: T. Randall Taylor

Date: 3/30/2012 1:37:36 PM

Who do you suppose the transfer is? Trey Zeigler? (Scroll down)

"We have a lot of good players," he (Rivers) said. "Two redshirts that will be playing next year, we have a good recruiting class that could be even better if Shabazz [Muhammad] were to come to Duke. And they have a transfer. A lot of things are looking bright for Duke and they will be really good again."

Read the Atlantic Monthly article first and then the Grantland since he discusses that article as well as HB's skype. Watching that announcement again, it's just weird and erie. The whole speech, announcement, and then the skype. Who does this?

Posted by: T. Randall Taylor

Date: 3/29/2012 9:44:49 AM

Sometimes you just need to get your priority stack organized. May I present two gentleman who come to blows concerning the UK Louisville game during dialysis.

Actually, you can get a composite of all recruit rankings at: http://www.draftexpress.com/RSCI/

Looking at the composites, Kansas players look a little, but not a lot, better. Among the various reporting gurus, the Morris Twins ranked between 33 and unranked. Relaford was between 32 and 76. Withey was between 20 and 43. Robinson was between 23 and 40. I think my earlier point holds.

Posted by: Dave

Date: 3/26/2012 11:11:48 PM

Those are the ESPN rankings. I didn't try and see if the other rankings were consistent with those.

By way of comparison, the year that Robinson was ranked as the #12 PF by ESPN, Mason was #2C and Kelly was #6PF. In fairness to K, every other PF on the 2009 list between Derrick Favors (#1) and Robinson pretty much just sucked (Renardo Sidney, the Wear twins, Allan Chaney, etc).

In 2007, neither Markieff nor Marcus Morris were ranked, but Miles was the #15 PF, and Czyz was the #27 PF.

Posted by: Matt

Date: 3/26/2012 10:13:47 PM

Dave, thanks; that's really interesting. What rankings service issued the numbers that you used, or was it a composite? I really try to stay out of the recruiting cesspool, but it's always fun and refreshing to find additional hard evidence that Krzyzewski is just getting clowned by the competition. But at least we got Austin Rivers for one shot, I mean, season!

Posted by: Dave

Date: 3/26/2012 9:40:31 PM

While we're throwing hosanna's Self's way, the other impressive thing he's done is develop players. Taylor was the #12 pg in 2008. Relaford was the #12 SG. Withey was unranked. Robinson was the #12 PF.

And even before that: both Morris twins were unranked recruits.

Contrast that with Duke the past, oh eight years or so: it's not flattering.

Posted by: Al White

Date: 3/26/2012 12:30:56 AM

Great analysis, Matt.

Why people don't do the unexpected in any kind of competition mystifies me. Self showed how and when to pull a surprise. Duke is too easy to play against when it doesn't have superior talent because it is just too predictable, on both defense and offense. This belief in only one way to play is a Knight demon that K has never been able to shake. What happened to that 3-2 zone knowledge that K supposedly got from Boeheim in 2008?

Kentucky doesn't look unbeatable, but it will take a subpar performance by them for anybody to have a realistic chance.

Congrats to Greg Paulus, who gets to go to his first Final Four, as a member of the Buckeyes' staff.

Posted by: Josh

Date: 3/26/2012 12:08:29 AM

And yes. Changing defenses - what a concept! Might've been my eyes playing tricks, but I could've sworn I saw a possession or two of 2-3 zone in the second half as well (could've been one of the Triangle and Two possessions where Barnes and White played lawn ornaments for awhile). So yes...this sort of strategery would be appreciated in future years. Then again, so would a big man with a discernible post move...

Posted by: Josh

Date: 3/26/2012 12:04:32 AM

Joke's on us, guys. Roy's gonna have three extra timeouts for next year's season opener because he cleverly sat on all of his during the Jayhawks' closing run. That Roy, always patiently working the long con. Well played, sir.

Those timeouts *do* carry over, right??

Posted by: tom

Date: 3/25/2012 11:39:53 PM

Hey guys. Well, I don't think its BCE for the Holes because Marshall did not play but you have 4 NBA first rounders on that team. Granted, none of them play the 2 or 3 but you would think one of them would have said just give the ball to me every time and we'll go somewhere. Especially that one guy. When Self changed to the Triangle 2 (something I really never heard about until today), Gottlieb was saying that Roy made a mistake by keeping Stillman White in there instead of maybe putting Hairston or Watts in to take the shots because they new Stillman wasn't really going to. My folks actually called me right when the game started and I have no idea why because I would be talking to them and then I would sound like I had terets (sp) as I would shout an F bomb watching Kansas throw passes to wide open UNC players. The way the game was going I felt Kansas was just killing themselves with the stupidity. For all of Tyshawn Taylors stuff he make a boneheaded move. Bad shots, one on three drives, passes to the stands. It was killing me. I'm glad they got it together in the last several minutes and put out a tough defensive stance. I can at least go into work Monday with a smile on my face. You know, I'm tired of the Duke guys declaring for the NBA, even when they are simply exploring. Say what you will but I predict Mason will be gone with Austin. Meanwhile, since Roy has been there, we see time and time again players decide to come back even when they were a first round and a possible lottery pick. Zellar ended the last two years of his career injury free and had a great season. I'm glad he's gone. I'm curious about Marshall, Barnes, Henson, and Macadoo's NBA declarations. All them are predicted top 20 picks. And you can tell Macadoo will show up next year (as Roy hid him for most of the season). It's time a UNC team was gutted. I am hoping for UK to not win it. But they do look just unstoppable. Looks like the offseason got a little more interesting.

Posted by: Matt

Date: 3/25/2012 9:34:38 PM

For added fun, PLEASE head over and check out out friendly rivals' message board, Inside Cryolina, at this link:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=78&f=1410

No subscription required to read - - but don't try to post anything or you'll get banned.